Most of the country completely skipped over spring and went right to scorching summer heat. Wow! For writers, June also means getting your manuscript ready to pitch at fall writer’s conferences. This month we’ll discuss the rigors and how to keep your cool when things heat up.
I know you’ve heard, “if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.” Well that would be great advice, if you didn’t need to eat. Someone’s got to cook or you don’t eat, right? A better goal would be to learn to endure the heat.
Let’s say your heat is not in the kitchen but at a writer’s conference, umm… gulp… in front of all those agents and editors. You can’t very well abandon the kitchen or you’ll never see your work in print. But last time, the heat was so intense, your lips melted shut like polyester on a radiator.
You ran from the heat faster than a cat on a hot tin roof. Trouble is, you’re no closer to living your dream of being a published author. That’s no fun so you need to condition yourself to endure the heat of pursuing this year’s goals. Here’s how.
Short Exposures. If you were planning on running a marathon in Florida in August (there aren’t any scheduled then for good reason), you’d need to build up your tolerance to the heat. If you go out and try to run ten miles in 95 degree heat, you most likely won’t fare well. But if you go out for twenty minutes in 85 degree weather every day for a week, you’ll slowly increase your comfort level to the heat. If you expose yourself to the heat of the pitching hot seat or elevator pitch in short snippets, you’ll build up a tolerance level to the heat of promoting your masterpiece.
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. When I run, there is a point where both lower legs hurt. With every step the pain urges me to stop before I seriously rip a muscle. I used to do just that. Stop. One day I pushed forward and within a half mile, the pain totally went away. The next day the same thing happened. And the next. Turns out, that discomfort was signaling that my body was moving from the shock of running into my zone. Now, when that pain hits, I know the discomfort is a good thing. It is in your writing and pitching as well.
Give yourself recovery time. As a runner in Florida, I have to cool off in 68 degree air conditioning and fans. I allow myself to completely cool down before I get up off the stretching mat. Sometimes that take an hour but I know if I don’t do that, I’ll just get overheated. When you’re trying to pitch your book and the heat has been turned up, as soon as you finish the pitch, take some time to decompress… to stretch and cool down. Then you’ll be ready to take on the next run!
Running the race to publication gets your emotions heated for sure. No way to avoid it but if you prepare properly, you’ll be able to endure it.
What have you done in the past that helps you prepare for when your emotions get heated? How did it work? Leave a comment here.
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Reba J. Hoffman is a natural encourager and Member Care Coach at My Book Therapy. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Counseling and is the founder of Magellan Life Coaching (www.magellanlifecoaching.com). She is the author of Dare to Dream, a Writer’s Journal published by My Book Therapy. She also publishes a motivational and encouraging blog, FindingTrue North. Contact Reba at reba@magellanlifecoaching.com.
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